8 Incredibly Beautiful Places In Papua New Guinea

With a magnificent mountainous landscape piercing the skyline, Papua New Guinea offers beautifully diverse and dramatic landscapes. It’s one of the world’s least discovered countries, allowing it to still maintain a rugged and raw beauty, protected from mass tourism and infrastructure. Here at Culture Trip, we’ve scoured the islands to bring you incredible locations where you’ll be guaranteed a private moment away from the crowds.

Lusancay Islands

This unspoilt archipelago is found on Papua New Guinea’s Milne Bay region, on the eastern side of the mainland. The Lusancay Islands are a slice of paradise with stunning reefs and white sandy islands. The best view, of course, is from the sky, looking down on the aqua dreamland.

Mt Wilhelm

Panasia Island, Louisade Archipelago

Secluded and tranquil, Panasia Island is the fantasy of island hoppers. Limestone cliffs reach into the sky while peering down into the serene ocean oasis. It’s a perfect fusion of white sand, turquoise waters and green trees.

The Eastern Fields

The Eastern Fields and Coral Sea are prime scuba diving spots in Papua New Guinea. The waters are brimming with life including mantas sharks and turtles. The eco-system is healthy and thriving, reminding visitors of what an ocean largely left alone can look like.

Sivoli River

Has seaweed ever looked this good? The vibrant hues of the Sivoli River in New Britain make this a unique body of water. Its green foliage on the riverside stands out against the blue while the flow of the seaweed is clearly visible in the waters.

Kubor Range

The Kubor Range in the New Guinea Highlands offers dramatic terrain, especially when cloud descends low enough to form a mysterious covering through the range. Visitors will feel far away from western comfort in the highlands, where the only life to be discovered along the way will be isolated tribes.

Mt Michael

One of the most striking aspects of Papua New Guinea’s scenery is its volcanic landscape. With dramatic rock faces and jagged peaks, mountains such as Mt Michael are especially impressive. This peak in the Eastern Highlands rises to 9,394 feet (2,863 m) and offers hikers another challenging but breathtaking trek.

Tavurur

It’s one thing to view volcanoes which no longer smoke, it’s another to know the land is truly alive beneath your feet and see Mother Earth in her most dramatic state. Tavurvur is one of Papua New Guinea’s most famous active volcanoes in the Rabaul caldera. One of the most devastating eruptions was in 1994, nearly destroying all of Rabaul. The most recent eruption occurred in 2014.

Tavurvur, the active stratovolcano near Rabaul

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.